What’s worse than a den of liars? A den of liars who are all related to each other. That’s what Kentucky State Police Detective Albert “Bud” Griffin finds when a young woman goes missing in Ohio County. Local law enforcement seems far more concerned about the last two people she was seen with, a recently-acquainted father and son team who are notorious liars, not to mention they’re particularly … particularly bad at it. After losing her husband and another daughter, Renita Anderson’s mother, Martina, is desperate to find her. Widowed by cancer, Martina offers Bud the kind of love and passion he never thought he’d find, and vows to find Renita.
He soon realizes there are members of the community who don’t want the young woman found. At a chance meeting in the woods with Texas Fish & Wildlife Officer Conor Paxton, the younger man makes some observations that confirm Bud’s suspicions—everyone he’s dealing with is lying except for Martina. The versions of Renita’s disappearance from last two people who saw her don’t match, and he’s not surprised. Threats are levied, shots are fired, and it all points to someone who’ll be impossible to go up against without help. To his surprise, the best help he gets comes from the most unlikely individuals—one with two legs and one with four.
Built on an actual ongoing 2018 case in far western Kentucky, Bluegrass Bravery: Shelter for Martina is filled with devotion, passion, mature bedroom antics, and enough treachery, betray, and evil to fill the Green River Bottoms. Someone will take a bullet. It’s only a matter of time.
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I loved that Bud Griffin and Martina Anderson are two 40 something adults that get a second chance at finding love after they both lose their spouses. Knowing what you want and going after it comes with wisdom and life experience. Bud takes over the investigation of Martina’s missing daughter when local authorities show little or no interest in pursuing her disappearance. Dealing with corrupt law enforcement and numerous threats and attempts on both his and Matina’s lives becomes a nightmare fraught with danger.
Back to a series that just has been getting better with each new grown and sexy couple pairing. These are mature adults with mature jobs and lives that go along with it. This time around re get Bud and Martina. She’s looking for her daughter and he looking for the truth. There were ups, downs and lots of lies. They weren’t very good lies but hey they truly tried to sell the lies told.
Rich well crafted characters with depth. A well crafted suspense with hidden features and more from a mother that would do what was needed to find her child. A county of people that were working hard not to allow for that child to be found. With each new page and chapter completed brought you closer to the mystery behind Renita’s disappearance and why a community of people were so full of lies.
I had never read a Deanndra Hall book before Shelter for Martina and the blurb sounded interesting so I figured that I didn’t have anything to lose except for my time. I spent the day reading it and I have come to the decision that this author’s writing style is not for me. Shelter for Martina moved slowly in some ways and quickly in others. Widowed detective Albert “Bud” Griffin gets called on a case about a missing man in Kentucky. He unknowingly stumbles into a woman whose daughter is also missing and was last seen with the man. Martina Anderson had reported her missing adult daughter to the local sheriff but the case was never followed through. The premise of the story sounds interesting even though the action was pretty minimal up until this point. Bud is immediately attracted to Martina who also happens to be a widow. As they work on the case together they both know how short life is and immediately jump into a relationship. The rest of the story is them working together as a couple and towards the answers that they both want to bring Martina’s daughter home. So here is where I struggled. My first issue is that the story was told only from Bud’s POV. My second issue is that there were a lot of plot holes. Martina’s daughter was married however her husband is not around in the majority of the story. I am sorry but that is not realistic. Third and most importantly, the story was very basic and bland. So maybe it was just me but I do not plan on reading any more of this author’s work. Other readers seem to like it but not every book is for every reader.
Very good read. A story of a mother trying to get answers about her missing daughter in a county where the cops don’t care and everyone is hiding secrets. When Bud drives up to Martina home, the connection is there, but he has a case to solve, a drug addict has gone missing, but then this woman say her daughter knows him and she is missing too. Now he has to find answers and this detective will not let this town hide their secrets.
A touching story and while i knew that they may not be a happy ending, i was still hoping for one at least for Martina’s grandchildren sake.
However the romance between Martina and Bud was so right, i liked that it was a steady romance, both have had previous loves and experienced loss, so now in their late 40s , this was slow and not rushed and the mystery solving went well along with the romance. Highly recommend
3.75 stars–SHELTER FOR MARTINA is the third instalment in Deanndra Hall’s contemporary, adult BLUEGRASS BRAVERY romantic suspense series. This is police widower / Detective Albert ‘Bud’ Griffin, and Martina Anderson’s story line. SHELTER FOR MARTINA can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous story lines is revealed where necessary.
NOTE: SHELTER FOR MARTINA began as a piece of fan fiction using some of the characters by author Susan Stoker, based upon an actual disappearance that took place in Graves County, Kentucky.
Told from dual third person perspectives (Albert and Martina) SHELTER FOR MARTINA follows Detective Albert ‘Bud’ Griffin as he investigates the disappearance of Renita Anderson, a young mother with connections to known liars and thieves. With the local police department derelict in their duties, Albert Griffin takes over the investigation at the insistence of Renita’s mother Martina Anderson. What ensues is the building romance and relationship between Martina and Albert, as Albert’s investigation places a target on both of their backs.
Albert Griffin had no idea how much trouble he would stir up when he began to investigate a missing person: from drugs to guns to murder and more the local police department’s record of arrests was questionable at best. Never expecting to find someone else to else Albert finds himself attracted to the missing woman’s mother, a woman who has lost so much more than he could have imagined.
SHELTER FOR MARTINA is a story of betrayal and corruption; second chances and happiness; love and happily ever after. The premise is intriguing and entertaining; the romance is passionate and seductive; the numerous characters are colorful and energetic.
Loved it. It is very well written. Bud and Martina have had lost in their lives can they find love again after losing their spouses? It’s a great story using real life events. It’s a must read. Can’t wait to read the next one.
I really enjoyed this book. It had my attention from the start and kept me reading to the end. The main characters are well over 40 and goes to show you don’t have to be young to have fun and find love. It has a Kentucky State Detective Albert “Bud” Griffin investigating a missing person case. Martina Anderson is the mother of the missing woman. Both have lost their partners, him to cancer and her to an accident on the ship he worked on. These two are attracted to each other and begin a relationship. The missing person case begins to get dangerous and it seems the local Sheriff has some involvement.
The story line was good. Two people missed in the woods, and only one walks out.
The relationship between Bud and Martina to me felt rushed, yes they are older and have lived their lives. Just feel like they were forced together.
There are times you giggle and others where your just plain shocked. However this story brings real life situations alive.
Great story over all.